Powerade Team Pilipinas vs Korea Part 2

I don't know what Powerade Team Pilipinas will show up against Korea this afternoon. To quote the Qatari coach: "“Don’t go hard against the Philippines. This is just a qualifying game for them. This means nothing to them. There’s no ambition, no goals. You know what I mean?" I'll still watch the game though. I want to know what Team Pilipinas players are made of...are they men or sheep? I believe they are men who can arise against adversity...but that's just me. They have one more opportunity to redeem themselves.


Update: 8 -17 -09

Team Pilipinas lost to Korea 82 -80 at least they fought hard this time. Yes, like most Team Pilipinas fans I want them to win it all but its just not possible at the moment esp. now that another basketball power emerged....Iran.

Iran defeated China 70 -52 in yesterday's Fiba-Asia Championship finals. The West Asian team was so dominant from the start and surprised the host with tough defense and basketball smarts.

The Iranians came well-prepared both in offense and defense. Their defense was tough and they came up with eight steals, and made Yi Jian Lian and Wang Zhizhi ineffective at the paint. The difference in the game was simple - Iran wanted it more. Yes I know it sounds cliche but that's the truth. Iran fought for every loose ball and outjumped Chinese centers when necessary. So congratulations to Iran - Asian Champions!

Powerade Team Pilipinas (Philippines) vs Qatar / CS9 / BTV

Powerade Team Pilipinas is in the consolation round - and yes we should be consoled at the fact that if the Philippines get fifth place the team might get a wild card invitation for the next year's Fiba World Championship in Turkey. Philippines vs Qatar will be at 2:00 pm today. If Team Pilipinas wants to they can beat Qatar but it depends on what mindset they'll bring in today's game.

Qatar - physically imposing squad, not consistent in shooting, and tend to be error prone. To their credit, Qatar is competitive and even built a seven-point lead against Iran yesterday before the defending Asian champs changed gears and trashed Qatar. Holdovers from the 2007 Team Pilipinas knows Qatar as they met in the Jones Cup in that year. Ali, Daoud, Elsayad and the veteran Musa are some of the team's notable players.


Team Pilipinas should beat Qatar and face Korea tomorrow G.w. for the 5th place playoff. Fifth place is the highest place the team could attain in this year's championship. If we do get invited for the Fiba World Qualifying Tournament, it will be another tough task as world basketball powers sometimes get in the mix. For example, the last wild card qualifiers were Croatia, Germany and Greece. But it's better than nothing.

Let's not compare the campaigns of Chot Reyes and Yeng Guiao as tournament format change gave the latter some benefit.

About the defeat yesterday....give me time as I wipe my tears (LOL).

Philippines vs Jordan

I wonder why Coach Yeng substituted players who were having a good game. No offense Coach, just asking. I thought in a KO game you give it all you've got including letting the in-form cagers play longer.

Rise of West Asian Teams?
Remove Rasheim Wright and Jackson Vroman from their respective teams would they still be competitive? The only West Asian team rising or has risen is Iran.

Fiba-Asia Prediction:
China vs Iran final

Powerade Team Pilipinas Fiba-Asia Notes / What Perfect Game? / Taulava (TGA)

Yes, I'll write some of my observations about the previous Powerade Team Pilipinas matches. But before that, will Fiba-Asia please stop this travesty of describing Taulava as Tongan (his papers show he is Filipino and plays for the Philippines so replace that TGA with PHI). You don't put the USA tag on Jackson Vroman do you? Why the double standards? Their excuse is it is the player's place of birth. DUH! Rasheim Wright was born in the USA. If Asi Taulava is TGA, Wright should be USA in the Fiba website too.

The LAST LAUGH: I was watching Team Pilipinas vs Taiwan on a Taiwanese channel back in the Jones Cup when I heard a commentator say: "Willie Miller Filipino? He he he he!" They were also laughing their minds off at the errors Team Pilipinas made in the game. Three days ago, in the tournament that really mattered, Willie Miller made a crossover, which made their player turn the wrong way, and shot a three which devastated Chinese Taipei. Now we're laughing.

Iran defeated Korea last night 82- 66. The reward for the loser is a quarterfinal match with Lebanon, the losing finalist two years ago and a semifinal game with China, talk about punishment. Iran is on a different level right now. The winner gets to play Qatar in the quarterfinals and the winner of the Philippines / Jordan game in the semifinals.

The quality of basketball in Asia has risen 100%. Qatar vs Lebanon, Lebanon vs China, & Philippines vs Chinese-Taipei are some of the classic matches I saw.

Iran is going to get better as their U-18 squad are the current Asian champions and some of them will soon be integrated with the senior team.

Make Do Of What They Have

Yes, Team Pilipinas is making the most of what they have. It is impossible to see Team Pilipinas play a perfect game in their state right now. Besides, there's no such thing as a perfect game anyway. The players are determined to play the best they can despite the lack of preparation time and other weaknesses and sometimes they are rewarded as in the victories over Japan and Chinese-Taipei.

They say practice makes perfect. Can Powerade Team Pilipinas play perfect when they barely practiced? (assuming there's such thing as a perfect game) I don't care HOW they win as long as the Nationals do. If Team Pilipinas win in a scrappy manner so be it as winning is far better than losing.

His decision

I'm not fond of telling Powerade Team Pilipinas Coach Yeng Guiao what to do. First, he is an accomplished coach, Guiao knows what needs to be done anyway. He is also responsible for the squad win or lose. Besides, I'm a basketball fan not an expert.

Fight with All their Might

Team Pilipinas players, all of you will fight and give your all G.w. tomorrow right? I believe Team Pilipinas has a decent chance of winning against Jordan so play with all your might.

I'm already satisfied since Team Pilipinas has defeated teams that I predicted they would like Sri Lanka, Japan, Chinese-Taipei and Kuwait. I'm happy I believed they'd win over Japan. Initially, Japan confused me, but after I saw their game against Korea in Fiba-Asia I knew our team would crush them.

Powerade Team Pilipinas (Philippines) vs Jordan Fiba-Asia Quarterfinals CS9 / BTV

Powerade Team Pilipinas vs Jordan will be on August 14 @ 2:00pm. Yes, this is the most likely quarterfinals match up for both teams. If you're a Philippine team fan, would you like the Nationals to face China? Of course not! Most likely, Jordan will not win over China tonight and the Arab nation will end up second in Group F and will meet us the third placer from Group E this Friday. Team Pilipinas has more chances of beating Jordan than China.

Whenever Jordan is vulnerable or can't make a headway against the opposition, Rasheim Wright gets in the act. Wright should be called the "Fire Man" (or Fire Fighter for pc purposes) as he extinguishes opponent's rally and douses their hope or when he leads his team in building up a sizable lead. The key is to handcuff Wright meaning play good defense on him. It's easier said than done though. Most likely Coach Yeng Guiao is going to put Norwood or Dillinger on him. Wright didn't play against Dillinger in the Jones Cup as the Filipino wasn't put in the line up back then. Again the scoring burden will be placed on Yap and Miller unless someone else rises up to the occasion. Ahhh...Team Pilipinas always rely on the smallest guy in the floor or a lone shooter (Jimmy Alapag in 2007 or Allan Caidic years ago). The positive thing is Team Pilipinas has been shooting better from three recently making at least 50% against Chinese Taipei and made 16 shots against Iran in addition to other players beside Yap made a three (Norwood, Miller, Helterbrand names I could remember).

Other players to watch out for are Al-Khas (6-9), Daghles (6-6), and Idais (6-10). Jordan is unbeaten since the Jones Cup (forfeited one game due to a walkout) and is in top form. I have a feeling Powerade Team Pilipinas can pull an upset. Jordan is the heavy favorite but the game is decided on the court and not in the betting section. To win, the Philippine team needs to play smart. Yes, I know they got what it takes and they know what they got to do. Suffocating defense and immaculate shooting are the key. They need to shoot better as Jordan's squad is tall and Team Pilipinas inside game disappears when they face a big squad and worse some get intimidated. As basketball experts pointed out against Iran yesterday, the Philippines only had four free throw attempts. It means they didn't penetrate or become more aggressive offensively. It will be another long night for Thoss, Taulava and Pennisi - our ever reliable big guys. But you can do it, guys!

Boy, I do hope for ONCE a Philippine Basketball Association-powered Team Pilipinas beat the odds and make us all proud.

If Korea beats Iran tonight, Team Pilipinas will meet the former in the semifinals (assuming the Nationals win their quarterfinals match up too).

How can most people support Team Pilipinas when they can't even see the replay on national television? Would the UAAP be large as it is today without TV exposure? Not everyone can see Team Pilipinas games live.

Powerade Team Pilipinas (Philippines) vs Kuwait / 2009 Fiba-Asia Championship / Wrestleball

Powerade Team Pilipinas vs Kuwait will be at 9:00 am on Basketball TV and CS9 Tomorrow G.w. August 12, 2009. If they win this, they get third place in Group E and face Jordan in the quarterfinals. The Nationals' chance over Kuwait is good. Kuwait is still winless as of press time and that alone speaks about the quality of this team. Mohammed Ashkanani leads the team both in scoring and rebounding - other notables in the squad are Saeed, AlRabah (not Husseini LOL) and it doesn't Al-matter. I'm not bragging but Powerade Team Pilipinas will destroy them. I looked at their height and they are small. Team Pilipinas should guard itself against complacency and go for the kill early as in clobber this team in the first quarter that way they could not expend any more energy than they have to.

They need to concentrate on their next opponent in the quarter finals - Jordan.


Team Pilipinas vs Iran 88 - 78

Miller and Yap combined for 28 points but it wasn't enough - another bad shooting night coupled with many poor decision-making and turnovers at the critical part of the match cost Philippines this basketball game. The Nationals gave up a lot of fouls and Iran took advantage making 23 out of 30 free throw attempts.

The Nationals got behind by twenty in the second quarter and Iran never looked back.



UPDATE: 8 - 12 -09

Team Pilipinas defeated Kuwait 85 -71.

Like most Philippine team supporters, I never doubted the ability of our national team. I wonder why some people get scared so easily. I don't watch PBA regularly but I know they're good. They are powerful enough to crush Kuwait - and they did 85 -71.

Powerade Team Pilipinas vs Iran Fiba-Asia 2009 Championship

Powerade Team Pilipinas vs Iran 11:00 am August 11, 2009

Another difficult test for Team Pilipinas, I offer no solutions this is Yeng Guiao's problem but here are things I noticed about Iran:

1. relies on inside scoring due to team's size
2. Haddadi easily loses composure
3. Fundamentally sound
   
4. not as dependable on outside shooting as Team Korea

Iran is having problems containing speedy & sweet shooting team (like the 2007 Team Pilipinas and Chinese Taipei a few days ago). They can be exposed.

I'll update this later G.w.

Powerade Team Pilipinas (Philippines) vs Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) Fiba-Asia Championship Second Round Begins! CS 9

Powerade Team Pilipinas vs Chinese Taipei August 10, 2009 CS9 4:00 pm.

This is the last time a Philippine Basketball Association-led Team Pilipinas will play a game against Chinese-Taipei in a real Fiba competition (Jones Cup is not a sanctioned tournament). I think Powerade Team Pilipinas will win. Chinese Taipei has made a conscious effort to emulate South Korea style of basketball (by hiring a Korean coach Chung Kwang Suk more than two years ago) or at least it appears that way. But the East Asian nation still has a lot of work to do frankly speaking. According to Fiba.com, they were given a wildcard spot in the Fiba-Asia Championship for this team didn't EVEN QUALIFY. In short, they're a very lucky team. Other reports say, Fiba pressured Fiba-Asia to let Chinese Taipei in after the world governing body failed to express clearly that the top six placers at last year's Fiba Stankovic Cup will qualify directly to the continental basketball championship. CT didn't join for it thought the tournament didn't matter. Whatever the reason, Chinese Taipei is in the tournament.

Chinese Taipei boasts of big guys such as Tien Li, Tseng Wen Ting, and Wu Tai-Hao - all three stands 202 cm or 6 -8 according to Fiba.com. Pennisi, Taulava and Thoss held their own against the much bigger Ha Seung Jin so these Taiwanese guys shouldn't be a problem. Powerade Team Pilipinas intense and determined defense greatly bothered Korean shooters and the latter shot 18.2% in the three point arc - stunningly low percentage for them. It's good news as Chinese Taipei overly relies on three-pointing shooting too. The team is also quick in transition. No matter, Powerade Team Pilipinas is in a BAD MOOD after the loss to Korea and will be more determined to win against a team that's almost Korea's carbon copy --- less Ha of course. The Nationals need to make their shots though...seriously. It's not enough holding down our opponents through suffocating defense, they also need to make their shots. I know the Team Pilipinas coaching staff know this. I'm confident the team can pull off another win.

Japeth Aguilar will play according to Philippine Star

Good luck Powerade Team Pilipinas!

Powerade Team Pilipinas (Philippines) Fiba-Asia 2009 Second Round Schedule

This is Powerade Team Pilipinas schedule for the second round of the 2009 Fiba-Asia Championship:

Powerade Team Pilipinas (Philippines) vs Chinese - Taipei August 10, 2009 4:00 pm

Powerade Team Pilipinas vs Iran - Aug. 11 11:00 am

Team Pilipinas vs Kuwait - Aug. 12 9:00 am

GMT + 8

For the continental basketball championship here are my predictions:

Team Pilipinas will beat Chinese-Taipei and Kuwait and place third. The Nationals will then meet Jordan in the quarterfinals.

Korea will beat Iran and ultimately top the group (combo of AB).

Powerade Team Pilipinas vs Korea / Taulava & Energy Drinks / 2009 Fiba-Asia Championship Day 3

So how many energy drinks will Asi Taulava drink this time?

Powerade Team Pilipinas vs Korea 9:00 pm August 8 CS 9 if its actually available. CS9 is like Video On Demand. However, it is the channel which decides when can we watch it or not. My grandpa missed the game last night a little rain kept this channel away.

The last time Paul Asi Taulava and Seung Jin Ha, the 7-3 giant, met the Filipino tamed the Korean. Can he do that again? How many energy drinks he will down this time? Nine? Though not as quick as he once was I'm sure his competitive fire is still there. Taulava will need that as Ha is more aggressive now both in offense and defense. Powerade Team Pilipinas also needs to keep an eye on Kim Min Soo, Bang Sung Yoon, and Lee Kyu Sup. Korea plays almost flawless basketball - they shoot accurately, commit few turnovers, and move relentlessly with or without the ball. Their brand of basketball is the antithesis of PBA BASKETBALL - a direct opposite. Their line up have players who can match up physically against Arab teams now unlike before and most of them are carry over from the 2007 Fiba-Asia Championship which Korea placed third. Good luck to Powerade Team Pilipinas lol! Of course, South Korea is hardly invincible, but it will take one herculean effort for the Nationals to pull it off. Of course, they can do it. Our players have to believe it too.

Again Team Pilipinas will have to rely on defense. Korea, like Japan, also rattle in face of relentless defending. Korea relies too much on three point shooting too they can't possibly sustain it for the entire tournament. As long as passes to Ha in the paint is disrupted and controlled, he won't be such a threat but I'm sure Coach Yeng Guiao has a much better gameplan against Korea.

Team Pilipinas shot 53% from the field last night. Their TOs down to nine last night after all the team stopped showboating. If they keep this up, they can beat Korea. They were badly outrebounded by Japan so more effort guys (36 to 48)!

Go Powerade!

Update: 8 - 10 - 2009

The Nationals' defense is something Coach Yeng could build upon in the next matches as it was very intense and menacing. What did Team Pilipinas in was their poor shooting, and fouls --- tsk tsk. Okay Team Pilipinas fans time to forget the match and move on. Our Team is still alive and can still pull off at least two wins - over Chinese-Taipei and Kuwait.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I wasn't able to follow up on this post yesterday. I try to update my blog as soon as possible but something held me up. Please read my new post about Powerade Team Pilipinas second round schedule and don't forget to check my post about Team Pilipinas vs Chinese - Taipei. It is just a short analysis of the upcoming game this afternoon at 4:00 pm thank you very much.

Where To Watch Fiba-Asia Championship Live Streaming Legitimate / Basketball TV / CS9 Schedule

So you want to know where to watch the 2009 Fiba-Asia Championship? No, this one is LEGIT! I've got the site http://www.fibatv.com/ and it will air the preliminary games just check it out.

Philippines vs Sri Lanka

6 August - 9h00 (GMT +8)

Kazakhstan vs Qatar

6 August - 11h00 (GMT +8)

Korea vs Japan

6 August - 14h00 (GMT +8)

Iran vs Chinese Taipei

6 August - 16h00 (GMT +8)

India vs China

6 August - 19h00 (GMT +8)

Lebanon vs Jordan

6 August - 21h00 (GMT +8)

Basketball TV / CS9 schedule

Aug 6 9:00 2009 FIBA Asia Championship: PHI vs SRI Live
Aug 7 21:00 2009 FIBA Asia Championship: PHI vs Japan Live
Aug 8 21:00 2009 FIBA Asia Championship- PHI vs Korea Live

Note: Schedule is bound to change without prior notice. Check the official sked in the site for updates and game schedules for the rest of the Basketball tournament.